Born: 1820, Mapperley
Died: 1869, Fulneck
Learn more about the life of Sarah Ann Fletcher
I was born July 2nd 1820 at Mapperley,
a small village in Derbyshire. My dear
Mother being a decided child of God
endeavoured to bring her chldren up
in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord; and I do not rember remember the
time when my thoughts were not
wont to
dwell upon serious things; but alas they
were too much of a reasoning sceptical nature.
Very little took place during my childhood
that
is worthy of recording; I had the priviledge
of attending a small School, that was kept
by the daughters of a most worthy and
excellent Independant Minister,
whose
loving and affectionate manner will ever
be sweet to my memory. I attended their
School untill I was in my 14th Year
when my dear Mother
placed me in the
Srs House at Ockbrook. where, after a
few weeks I became exceedingly happy
and comfortable the life of a Srs House
House being well adapted to my nature
cheerful, yet somewhat reservedtimid dispos-
ition. In the beginning of 37 I
received
with several others of my companions,
instruction for confirmation, or rather
in my case for Adult baptism, my
dear Mother being a baptist I had
consequently not received that sacrament
in infancy; but I cannot say that
either the instructions or the rite
itself made any lasting impressions
upon my mind; I
enjoyed the instruc
tions, as I did, imbibing knowledge
of any kind that came in my reach.
Unaware almost to myself, I formed
my own views on religous the
way of
Salvation, and as might be expected
stumbled upon many errors, At one time
instead of simply going to Jesus, I was seeking the fruits of the
Spirit and
at another I was fully impressed with the
idea, that tho’ I was very very far from
what I ought to be as a christian, yet I
must wait the Lord’s time to
make
me different, I could do nothing. At this
time “Baxters Saints Rest” fell into my
hands, which by the blessing of the Lord
made a very deep impression on my mind
and showed me that there was much for
me to
do, viz an earnestness of spirit, and
a determination to give the Lord no rest
till he was graciouslypleased to reveal
himself to me. From this time I was much
more
in earnest, but my adorable Saviour
was not my all in all; consequently the
way seemed long and hear I often felt inclined
to exclaim “who is sufficent for these
things!
In the year 50 I received a call to be the
Warden of the Single Sisters in Fulneck,
and tho’ deeply conscious of my own
insuff-
iciency for such a post, I felt such a strong
conviction that it was from the Lord
I dared do no other than accept it. In the
first year I had many trials and
difficulties
caused in a great measure by my own
inexperience, but afterwards my working
very pleasant, and light to me. The
Year afterI came to Fulneck, the texts for
my birthday struck me very much on
looking at them sometime before. The
daily word was “In the Lord shall
all
the seed of Israel be justified and glory shall
45th of Isaiah & 25th
verse, and the doctrinal
text was, the second of Acts & the latter part
of the 47th verse “And the Lord added to
the church daily such as should be saved.”
I felt to hope that these texts had a reference
to some that were very near & dear to me, who
were not added to any christian church,
and over whom my heart had
often yearned.
I never once thought of them in connection
with myself, I thought I was added to the
church, and of the real meaning of the
daily word I had at that
time very little
knowledge, oh how possible it is to deceive
ourselves and others. On the morning of my
birthday, I found three verses on my table
which had been
drawn and placed there
by a very dear and worthy sister, as was
her custom, the three were very striking, but
the text of one was love “Lovest thou me”
to which was added the verse
Lovest thou me I hear the Saviour say,Would that my heart had power to answer yea: Thou knowest all things, Lord in heaven aboveAnd earth beneath, thou knowest that I loveBut ’tis not so in word, in deed, in thoughtI do not cannot love thee as I ought,Thy love must give that power, thy love alone
On reading the last line with clasped hands I exclaimed, oh
my belovedSaviour that is the very thing
why didst thou not show me that before. it is
indeed thy love that must give me power
to love thee in return, there is indeed “nothing
worthy of thee but thine own Oh do thou
grant that “with the love wherewith thou
lovest me
Reflected on thyself I wouldmaylove thee
My dear Saviour had that instant drawn
me to himself but when he put his holy
spirit into my heart, oh the
sink of iniquity
I saw there “sin did indeed revive and
I died” Rom 7th ch 9th verse. So heavy was the
weight of guilt upon me, that I often
felt I must sink under it, or that I should
lose my senses; I stood a guilty hell deserving
sinner, and felt that I must be lost, if my
Saviour had not died for me;
but I could
take no comfort, the promises were as tho’
I had never heard them, except occasionally
a text such as Line is crossed out in pencil, what is written above is
illegible”I will not always strive with Line is crossed out in pencil, what is written above is illegibleman least the Spirit which I have made
should fail before me” was as a little
gleam
of sunshine, and then the cloud passed
over again. I remained in this state of
mind some Weeks, till one sunday evening
the text was from some part of John’s
first
Epistle, but what chapter or verse I have
no recollection from the distressed state of
my mind. During the sermon I earnestly
besought the Lord to reveal himself
to me,
And he did, the peace and joy that I felt
that night, none but a pardoned sinner
can have any conception of I had not a
shadow of a doubt of my acceptance in
the
Beloved. And tho’ God has not at all times
been in my thoughts, yet my beloved
Saviour has never suffered my feet to slide
O thou who hast begun a good work in
me, do thou perfect it unto the end.
Oh do thou
empty me of myself, and fill
me with thyself be thou my all in all
18575 I again devote myself body soul &
spirit unto thee dear Saviour, but oh
do thou keep me, thou know’st how weak
and frail I am, how prone to stray from
thee, and how contrary I continually act
to thy mind.
Thus far her own
In addition to what our late Sister
has stated her fellow laborer adds
the following on behalf of herself
& the choir, & can truly say, that
both she and
every inmate of the
house, feel that they have lost
in our late Sister, a sincere and
valued friend & conscientious
Christian.
Upright in
principle & faithful
in business, she did all she had
to do, with a single eye to the interest
of the concern she was entrusted
with, & never for an hour,
would
sacrifice duty to pleasure.
To be unexpectedly called upon to
part with a friend so faithful
& untiring in her exertions for the
good of the whole household, does
indeed fill all our
hearts with sorrow,
We deeply mourn our loss, but we
cannot but say, that our loss is her
eternal gain. She knew in whom
she believed, & when the summons
came for her to lay by her earthly
duties, she was enabled to say: “Thy
will be done!” And we doubt not
would hear the welcome: “Well
done good & faithful
servant, enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord!”
As a fellow laborer & member of our
Elders’ Conference, our dear Sr Fletcher
was much esteemed by us all, for
the candour of
her mind, & her
strictly conscientious discharge
of her official duties. She would ever
openly & clearly state her views on
any subject she was interested in,
& in case of
a difference of opinion
firmly & faithfully maintain her
cause, without however in the least
being self opinionated or obstinate.
Her warm interest in the Lords work
& the spread of His kingdom, both
at home & abroad, she quietly,
yet continuously manifested, not
only unto the Searcher
of hearts, who
delights to hear the prayers of his
people, when they plead with him
for the furtherance of his gospel, but
also unto man, by the lively &
intelligent
interest she always displayed in
conversations on the subject of
missionary labours, & by her untiring
& successful endeavours, to collect
subscriptions for such objects, as the
Foreign & Home Missions, the Bible
Society & so forth. The local committees
of these associations, will miss in her
a
valued member, & a successful
collector.
We were often struck with her correct
memory of men & things, relating
to Missionary enterprises,
especially
those connected with our own
Church, of which she was a very
consistent & attached member.
She also took her place as a teacher
in our Sunday school, & by her
prayerful & careful preparation for
her work, succeeded in securing the
love &
gratitude of her scholars, to
whose hearts her memory is much
endeared by her valued instructions
in spiritual things.
She now rests from her labours, &
her works do follow her. Whatever
she did, she did unto the Lord,
& this imparted real worth to her
activity. Her memory
is dear to
us.
When the Minister of the Congn saw
her on the evening of the so called
“Sisters’ coming in day,” she was
remarkably calm & cheerful in her
mind,
& resigned to the Lord, who
had laid her on a bed of sickness,
while the other inmates of the
house, were holding their festive
meetings in the adjoining prayer
hall. For the visit paid to her
& the prayer offered up by her
bed
side, she expressed her thanks in
a very cordial & lively manner.
Little did the Minister think, that
on his return from Crook, whither
duty called him
away for several
days, he should no longer be permitted
to see her among the living.
To a fellow laborer who visited her
late on Sunday evening, & who engaged
in spiritual conversation & prayer
with the dear patient, she remarked
on his
enquiry, if she felt her Saviour
near, that He was her only real
comfort & true support: “for what
should I do without him now?”
And truly He was with her in her
last hour. Her own memoir tells
us, that she knew in whom she believed.
Trusting in his merits, & saved by his
bloods hedding & death, she gently fell
asleep in Jesus to be for ever with
the Lord
This begins a second version of Sarah Ann Fletcher’s memoir
Memoir of Sr Sarah Ann Fletcher
who departed at Fulneck on
the 20th December 1869
I was born July 2nd 1820 at
Mapperly, a small village in
Derbyshire.
My dear mother being a decided
child of God endeavoured to
bring her children up in the
nurture & admonition of the
Lord; & I do not remember the
time when my thoughts were
not wont to dwell upon serious
things; but, alas! they were too
much of a reasoning, sceptical
nature. Very little took place
during
my childhood that is
worth recording. I had the
privilege of attending a small
school, that was kept by the
daughters of a most worthy &
excellent
Independent Minister,
whose loving & affectionate manner,
will ever be sweet to my memory.
I attended their school until I was
in my 14th
year, when my dear Mother
placed me in the Srs house at
Ockbrook, – where, after a few weeks,
I became exceedingly happy and
comfortable, the life of a
Srs house
being well adapted to my naturally
cheerful, yet somewhat reserved
disposition.
In the beginning of 1837 I received,
with several others of my companions,
instruction for confirmation, or rather
in my case for adult baptism.
My dear Mother
being a Baptist
I had consequently not received
that sacrament in infancy.
But I cannot say that either the
instructions, or the rite itself, made
any lasting impression on my mind.
I enjoyed the instructions, as I did
imbibing knowledge
of any kind that
came in my reach.
Unawares almost to my self, I formed
my own views on the way of salvation,
& as might be expected stumbled upon
many errors. At one time I was
seeking fruits of
the Spirit, instead of
simply going to Jesus, & At another
time I was fully impressed with the
idea, that though I was
very very far from what I ought
to be as a Christian, yet I must
wait the Lord’s time to make me
different, I could do nothing. At
this time “Baxter’s saints’ rest”
fell into my hands, which by
the blessing of the Lord made
a
very deep impression on my mind,
& showed me that there was much
for me to do, viz. an earnestness of
Spirit, & a determination to give
the Lord no
rest, till he was gra-
ciously pleased to reveal himself
to me. From this time I was
much more in earnest, but my
adorable Saviour was not my all
in all;
consequently the way seemed
long & heavy & I often felt inclined
to exclaim: “Who is sufficent for
these things!”
In the year 1850 I received a call
to be the Warden of the Sle Srs in Fulneck,
& though deeply conscious of my own
insufficiency for such a post,
I felt
such a strong conviction that it
was from the Lord, that I dared
do no other than accept it.
In the first year I had many trials
and difficulties, caused in a great
measure by my own inexperience,
but afterwards my work was very
pleasant & light to me.
The 2nd year after I came to Fulneck,
the texts for my birthday struck me
very much, on looking at them some
time before. The daily word was:
“In the
Lord shall all the seed of
Israel be justified & shall glory. Is. 45.25
& the doctrinal text was, the second of Acts
& the latter part of the 47th
verse: “And the
Lord added to the Church daily such as
should be saved.” I felt to hope, that
these texts had a reference to some, that
were very near & dear to
me, who were
not added to any Church Christian
Church, & over whom my heart had
often yearned. I never thought of
them in connexion with myself,
I thought I was added to the Church,
& of the real meaning of the daily word
I had at that time very little knowledge.
O! how possible it is it is to deceive ourselves
& others!. On the morning of my birthday
I found three verses on my table
which had been drawn & placed
there by a very dear & worthy sister,
as was her custom, the three were
very striking. The
text of one was
“Lovest thou me?” To which was
added the verse
“Lovest thou me? I hear my Saviour say,”Would that my heart had power”to answer, yea, “Thou knowest all things, Lord inheaven above “And earth beneath, thou knowestthat I love! “But ’tis not so, – in word, in deed,in thought “I do not, cannot love thee as I ought;”Thy love must give that power; thy love alone!
On reading the last line I exclaimed
with clasped hands, Oh my beloved
Saviour, that is the very thing
Why didst thou not show me that
before. It is indeed thy love
that
must give me power to love thee
in return, there is indeed, “nothing
worthy of thee but thine own”
O do thou grant that “with the love
wherewith thou
lovest me, reflected
on thyself I may love thee!”
My dear Saviour, had that instant
drawn me to himself but when
he put his Holy Spirit into my heart
Oh the sink of iniquity I saw there
Sin did indeed revive & I died
Rom. 7:9. So heavy was the weight
of guilt upon me, that I often felt
I must sink under
it, or that I should
lose my senses. I stood a guilty
hell deserving sinner, & felt that I must
be lost if my Saviour had not died
for me, but I could take no
comfort;
the promises were as though I had
never heard them; except occasionally
a text such as “For I will not contend
for ever, neither will I be always wroth:
for the spirit should fail before me &
the souls which I have made” Is 57.16
was a little gleam of sunshine, & then the
cloud passed over again. I remained
in this state of mind some weeks, till
one Sunday evening, the text was
from some part of John’s first Epistle,
but what chapter or verse I have no
recollection from the distressed state
of my mind. During the sermon
I earnestly besought the Lord to reveal
himself to me, & He did. The peace & joy
that I
felt that night, none but a
pardoned sinner can have any conception
of I had not a shadow of a doubt
In
addition to what
our late Sister has stated
her Choirfellow labourer adds
the following on behalf
of herself and the Choir
can truly
state that
both she and every inmate
of the house, feel that they
have lost in our late
Sister, a sincere and
valued friend, such a
Conscientious
Christian
Upright in principle, &
faithful in business,
She did all she had to
do with a single eye to
the interest of the concern
she was intrusted
with,
and never for an hour
would sacrifice duty to
pleasure. Every inmate
of the
house must and
did feel that when it
unexpectedly called to part
with her, she had lost
a true and valued
friend. But while we
deeply mourn
her loss
we cannot but say our
loss is her Eternal gain
She knew in whom she
believed, and when the
summons came for her
to lay by her earthly duties
she was enabled to say
Thy will be done and
we doubt not would hear
the welcome Message
Well done
of my acceptance in the Beloved.
And though God has not at all
times been in my thoughts, yet
my beloved Saviour has never
suffered my feet to slide.
O thou who has begun a good work
in me do thou perfect it unto the
end. O do thou empty me of myself,
& fill me with thyself be thou
my all in all.
1857 I again devote myself, body
soul & spirit unto thee dear Saviour,
but Oh do thou keep me, thou
knowest how weak & frail I am,
how prone to stray from
thee
& how contrary I continually act
to thy mind
Thus far her own
In addition to what our late Sister
has stated, her fellow laborer
adds the following, on behalf of
herself & the Choir, & can truly say
that both she &
every inmate of
the house, feel that they have lost
in our late Sister, a sincere &
valued friend & conscientious
Christian.
Upright in principle & faithful
in business, she did all she had
to do with a single eye to the
interest of the concern she was
entrusted with, & never for
an
hour would sacrifice duty to
pleasure.
To be unexpectedly called upon
to part with a friend so faithful
& entering in her exertions for
the good of the whole household
does indeed fill all our hearts
with sorrow, we deeply fe mourn
her loss but we cannot but
say that our loss is her eternal
gain. She knew in whom she
believed & when the
summons
came for her to lay by her
earthly duties, she was enabled
to say: “Thy will be done!”
And we doubt not would
hear the welcome Well done
good & faithful servant
enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord
As a fellow labourer and
member of our Elders’ Conference
our dear Sr. Fletcher was much
esteemed by us all for the candour
of her mind, and her strictly conscien-
tious discharge of her official duties.
She would ever openly & clearly
state her views on any subject she
was interested in, and in case of a
difference
of opinion firmly and
faithfully maintain her cause,
without, however, in the least being
self opinionated or obstinate. Her
warm interest in the Lord’s work
and the spread of his kingdom, both
at home and abroad, she quietly,
yet continuously manifested, not
only unto the Searcher of hearts, who
delights to hear the
prayers of his people,
when they plead with him for the
furtherance of his gospel, but also unto
man, by the lively & intelligent
interest she always
displayed in con
versations on the subject of Missionary
labours, and by her untiring and
successful endeavours to collect sub-
scriptions for such objects, as the
Foreign
and Home Missions, the Bible Society,
and so forth. The local Committees of
these Associations will miss in her
a valued member, and a successful
Collector. We were often struck with
her correct memory of men and things
relating to Missionary enterprises,
especially those connected with our
own church, of which
she was a very
consistent & attached member.
She also took her place as a
Teacher in our Sunday School, and
by her prayerful and careful prepa-
ration for her work succeeded in
securing the love and gratitude
of
her Scholars, to whose hearts her memory
is much endeared by her valued
instructions in spiritual things. She
now rests from her labours, and her
works do follow her. Whatever she
did, she did unto the Lord, and this
imparted real worth to her activity.
Her memory is dear to us.
When the Minister of the Congregn.
saw her on the evening of the so called
Sisters’ Coming in Day, she was re-
markably calm and cheerful in her
mind,
and resigned to the Lord, who
had laid her on a bed of sickness, while
the other inmates of the house, were holding
their festive meetings in the adjoining
Prayer
hall. For the visit paid to her,
and the prayer offered up by her bedside
she expressed her thanks in a very
cordial and lively manner. Little
did the
Minister think, that on his
return from Crook, whither duty called
him away for several days, he should
no longer be permitted to see her among
the living. To a
fellow laborer, who
visited her late on Sunday Evening,
and who engaged in spiritual conversa
tion and prayer with the dear patient,
she remarked on his
enquiry, if she felt
her Saviour near, that He was her only
real comfort and true support; for
what should I do without Him now?
And truly He was with her in her
last hour; her own Memoir tells us,
that she knew, in whom she believed.
Trusting in his merits, and saved
by his bloodshedding and death, she
gently
fell asleep in Jesus to be
for ever with the Lord.
